Sitting in the Exhibit Hall surrounded by classrooms filled with eager genealogists being tutored by some of the finest genealogy minds in America is always exciting to me. You can feel the electricity in the air. Across the hall from where I am sitting is Steve Morse teaching genealogy students how to understand DNA and how to use it to best advantage in their own research.
Down the aisle is Michael Booth of Roots Magic with a full set of classes on this remarkable software. Each hour another aspect of the program and its allies Family Historian and mapping your research. I have taken those classes, meeting once a week for 6-8 weeks. Imagine, a concentrated learning experience like this available in 2 days. (That is how I studied French at the University of Utah–so I could read it.)
The keynote address yesterday was delivered by Dean McLeod, who was one of the founding members of the Association of Professional Genealogists. He told us about “box-diving.” Seeking the original letters our ancestor wrote home to brothers and sisters telling them of the glories of life in California. Reading the original documents at archives and libraries –often still in the boxes they were shipped to the facility in. Boxes that may get tossed out–in the boxes they were shipped to the facility in. Amazing insights can be gleaned from these boxes of stuff.
Other Expos are scheduled in Springfield Ill in August and at Kearney Nebraska in September. You can get in while the price is still low for a very great genealogy vacation. Go to http://familyhistoryexpos.com to register. Come hob-knob with the pros! Including me! Your favorite genealogist, Arlene Eakle.